Before I talk about a talented vegan woman whom I admire – I want to talk about another talented vegan woman whom I admire: Jenny Mustard. Recently Jenny featured one of my recipes – Raw Carrot Cake & Cream Cheese Hearts– in her Vegan Inspo series. If you’ve seen any of Jenny’s videos, you know that she and David create truly beautiful, ethereal pieces that make food look oh so incredible. She put her unique touch on my crazy recipe, made it look easy, and well, sensual! Please check it out and don’t deprive yourself – be sure to spend time exploring her other videos and her website. Jenny also has a new cookbook called New Vegan that looks out-of-this-world gorgeous. I’m hoping it will be made available in English soon. Thank you so much, Jenny! (Photos below of carrot cake courtesy of Jenny & David.)

Now, let’s talk about that other talented, gorgeous, awesome vegan woman known by many as the Jazzy Vegetarian: Laura Theodore! Laura’s brand-spankin’ new cookbook, vegan-ease has been out for only a couple of days now, but lucky me, I got a review copy a few weeks back. I’ve been cooking from it extensively and like Laura’s other books, Jazzy Vegetarian and Jazzy Vegetarian Classics, this one is chock-full of simple, easy-to-prepare, wholesome, and tasty vegan food from breakfast through desserts (her speciality, I think!). Laura’s goal w/ vegan-ease was to share recipes made from unprocessed and easy to locate ingredients. She succeeds marvelously!

To give you an idea of how recipes are organized, Laura created an Ease-Factor scale:

1 = quick, easy; up to 7 ingredients; less than 15 minutes to “serve, refrigerate, or prepare for the oven;” ingredients readily available at supermarkets.

2 = takes less than 30 minutes to “serve, refrigerate, or prepare for the oven;” has up to 10 ingredients; ingredients generally available at supermarkets or health food stores.

3 = takes more than 30 minutes to “serve, refrigerate, or prepare for the oven;” ingredients mostly available at supermarkets or health food stores.

When you are short on time and long on hunger, go for 1s or 2s. For weekends, when you have a bit more time, or for special occasions, explore the 3s. Speaking of special occasions, Laura devotes an entire chapter to “stress-free holiday recipes” like Pumpkin Spice Cheeze-Cake, Festive Breakfast Casserole, and Mushroom-Basil Gravy. This section will be getting heavy use by me during the upcoming season. There’s also a section of menus for all occasions – Sunday Brunch, Summer Soiree, Burger Deluxe, to name a few – as well as a chapter on “menu planning basics.” Laura’s cookbook is a must for any vegan cook’s shelf because it guarantees healthful, flavorful, whole food meals that can be made quickly and easily.

BTW, vegan-ease is just a little extra special for me because I contributed some photos to the book. I’m thrilled and honored that Laura asked me to be a part of such a beautiful product and I feel lucky to call her a friend.

I know that you’d love to get your hands on Laura’s book, so I’m giving one reader the chance to do just that! Laura will even sign the book. Oh, and the winner will also get some Pascha organic vegan chocolate bars – woohoo! So enter below (U.S. entrants only, please) – after you’ve printed out her recipe for 4-Ingredient Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies – and best of luck to everyone! If you can’t wait, go here to order a copy of vegan-ease for yourself, a friend, or loved one.

My photos that appear in Laura’s book:

And now, for…cookies!

Four-Ingredient Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

2015-08-25 14:17:07

Yields 18

Oh yeah! These delectable little cuties are so simple to make, you just may want to make a double batch. With only four ingredients, you can’t go wrong with this easy twist on a classic cookie. - Laura

Preheat the oven 375 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper.

Put the bananas in a medium-sized bowl and mash with a potato masher or large fork until smooth. Add the oats, raisins and chocolate chips; stir to combine.

Using a cookie scoop or large spoon, drop a heaping tablespoonful of the cookie batter onto the lined baking sheet, gently flattening it with a rubber spatula or clean fingertips. Continue in this manner with the remaining cookie dough.

Bake for 13 to 17 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and cookies are almost set. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes. Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, cookies will keep for about 3 days.

Whole grain pasta, or a quick coking grain like farro, plus beans and greens equals my favorite quick meal. Pre-washed greens, pre-cooked or canned beans and a nice jar of red sauce are my best short cuts to getting a meal of real food on the table fast. Change the sauce/seasonings and you have a completely different meal. Spicy peanut and tahini-lemon are a couple of other sauces that I can whip up while the pasta or grains are cooking. If I don’t have greens in the house I’ll steam or roast some frozen veg.

My go-to meal is a rendition of something my mom made when I was young but it had meat in it. I use crumbles. its simple but I love the taste. 2 cans of Vegetarian beans, tomato soup, sauteed onions, mixed with spaghetti style noodles and “meat” crumbles. Easy and is even better as a leftover.

I invented similar cookies 2 years ago & this version ais also really inviting & yummy! This book sounds really interesting & good for you that you shot the beautiful inviting captivating food photos! xxx